A New Jersey man who called his Black neighbor a "monkey" and used the n-word on video Friday also provided his address with the challenge to “come see me.” As of Monday evening, some 150 protesters answered the challenge in Mount Laurel at the door of the racist, who police identified as Edward Cagney Mathews, The Philadelphia Inquirer initially reported. “We want Edward!” they yelled in Black Lives Matter shirts.
The police apparently wanted Mathews too. They made a path to arrest him then hauled the handcuffed man away in a police cruiser. He faces charges of fourth-degree bias intimidation and trespassing, police said in a statement posted on Facebook Monday.
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“The charges were placed on a summons by a municipal court judge to be heard at future court appearance,” authorities said in the post. ”The Mount Laurel Police Department does not tolerate hate or bias intimidation in any form.
“This type of behavior is totally unacceptable. We can assure our residents that incidents like this are thoroughly investigated and that those who commit such offenses will be held accountable for their actions.”
Police also said they are “actively investigating other incidents involving this suspect.” “If anyone has information on these incidents, you are kindly asked to contact Mount Laurel Police Department at 856-234-8300 or the confidential tip line 856-234-1414 Ext. 1599,” police said in the Facebook post.
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Mathews reportedly apologized Monday morning and again in a phone interview with The Inquirer. “I certainly wasn’t expecting an encounter like that and certainly wasn’t expecting to disrespect anybody,” Mathews told the newspaper. “Let me be clear: That is no excuse for what I said, but I lost my temper.” He claimed he uses the same language with white people and that the slurs weren’t indicative of any racist feeling. “Anybody that knows me know that I just talk like this,” Mathews said.
Warning: This video contains profanity, racial slurs, and derogatory language that may be triggering for some viewers.
The viral video showed Mathew taunting a Black man at the door of a neighboring home. “Learn your law. It’s not Africa,” Mathews said. The neighbor responded: “I was born in America, sir.”
Mount Laurel Police spokesman Kyle Gardner told The Philadelphia Inquirer there have been complaints about Mathews in the past but there wasn't enough evidence to justify charges. “We understand the frustration,” Gardner said. “The perception was that we did nothing about it. We’re doing the best we can.”
Another resident of the area told CBS Philly at least 10 other people have been harassed because of their skin color, and another neighbor said Mathews "used a BB gun to shoot their windows out. "He smeared dog feces all over their car," the resident said.
“I totally understand why the protestors were here today,” Burlington County prosecutor Scott Coffina told CBS Philly. “They had seen videos that weren’t available to us on Friday night that were even worse.” Mount Laurel Police Chief Steve Riedener told the news station Mathews was released after a judge decided there should be a summons that evening.
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The police apparently wanted Mathews too. They made a path to arrest him then hauled the handcuffed man away in a police cruiser. He faces charges of fourth-degree bias intimidation and trespassing, police said in a statement posted on Facebook Monday.
Embedded Content
“The charges were placed on a summons by a municipal court judge to be heard at future court appearance,” authorities said in the post. ”The Mount Laurel Police Department does not tolerate hate or bias intimidation in any form.
“This type of behavior is totally unacceptable. We can assure our residents that incidents like this are thoroughly investigated and that those who commit such offenses will be held accountable for their actions.”
Police also said they are “actively investigating other incidents involving this suspect.” “If anyone has information on these incidents, you are kindly asked to contact Mount Laurel Police Department at 856-234-8300 or the confidential tip line 856-234-1414 Ext. 1599,” police said in the Facebook post.
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Mathews reportedly apologized Monday morning and again in a phone interview with The Inquirer. “I certainly wasn’t expecting an encounter like that and certainly wasn’t expecting to disrespect anybody,” Mathews told the newspaper. “Let me be clear: That is no excuse for what I said, but I lost my temper.” He claimed he uses the same language with white people and that the slurs weren’t indicative of any racist feeling. “Anybody that knows me know that I just talk like this,” Mathews said.
Warning: This video contains profanity, racial slurs, and derogatory language that may be triggering for some viewers.
The viral video showed Mathew taunting a Black man at the door of a neighboring home. “Learn your law. It’s not Africa,” Mathews said. The neighbor responded: “I was born in America, sir.”
Mount Laurel Police spokesman Kyle Gardner told The Philadelphia Inquirer there have been complaints about Mathews in the past but there wasn't enough evidence to justify charges. “We understand the frustration,” Gardner said. “The perception was that we did nothing about it. We’re doing the best we can.”
Another resident of the area told CBS Philly at least 10 other people have been harassed because of their skin color, and another neighbor said Mathews "used a BB gun to shoot their windows out. "He smeared dog feces all over their car," the resident said.
“I totally understand why the protestors were here today,” Burlington County prosecutor Scott Coffina told CBS Philly. “They had seen videos that weren’t available to us on Friday night that were even worse.” Mount Laurel Police Chief Steve Riedener told the news station Mathews was released after a judge decided there should be a summons that evening.
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